Sunday, May 13, 2012

Dark Shadows - Better love story than twilight

Straight up - this is not like any movie you have seen I bet, but may not be the last. Dark Shadows comes from the unconventional masterclass director Tim Burton.Tim brings on board his fav cast (I think) of Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp and other great talents as Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chole Grace Moretz and others.
Starts off with the setting of 18th century -  and cut to 19th century, the movie has dark, sexy, humourous setting, be it the theme, the time of day it has been shot and even a few comic sequences. An unusual vampire movie, which never disappoints and tries to connect with the audiences with each scene. Even though it comes with a few gruesome and frightening scenes, they seem comical at times. The movie at few points screams of Johnny Depp as the only big star present in the movie but having said that others do have their share of shout-outs. This is bound to happen if you have a lot of big names together on one big canvas. The movie has let downs too but Johnny Depp as charismatic Barnabas Collins, Eva Green as the sexy witch Angelique Bouchard, and Helena Bonham Carter as the wonderful Dr. Julia Hoffman do enough to keep you glued and at times on the edge of your seat.
With a lot of unexpected twists director Burton tries to deliver something different to you and succeeds most of the time. At times the movie becomes a one which is (sexy) women-centric and energetic enough to take a sigh in the next scene. To create a cinematic experience like Dark Shadows takes a lot of courage and to deliver it, requires even more. And when it is delivered the credit must go to the entire cast and crew. If you are a man or a woman, believe it or not you will forget what's happening on screen and concentrate on Eva Green every time she appears on screen. A few good laughs too packed in with some really good frightening scenes. Some scenes are worth watching. Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins who tries to break the curse which has passed on from generations in his family and in process tries to restore the family's former glory retains his charm throughout the movie and never disappoints.
The music and the soundtracks that play in the background are amazing, maybe because we have heard them and that was the time of retaliation and fight for change and freedom we can relate and connect to them still today. The language (Shakespearean English) which Barnabas Collins speaks would be difficult for some to understand but that's how it is - simply take it or leave it attitude, which I liked about it.
Overall a treat to watch. Tim Burton and everyone else in their best form and character. Can't think of anything else other than Eva Green after watching.
[Even though it's been given an A certificate in India, I can assure you we have heard worse when it comes to language and seen worse when it comes to frightening and sexy. Why the hell did they give it an A certificate. What the hell were they thinking at CBFC while rating this movie.]